Tattoo Policy In The Indian Army

Candidates seeking to join Indian Army should comply with the tattoo policy which has been in use since 11 May 2015. The following are some of the aspects that apply to persons with tattoos who attempt to enrol with the Indian Army.

Applicants from governmentally declared tribal communities are allowed to have permanent tattoos on any part of the body, based on the existing customs and traditions of their tribe. These candidates will be permitted to continue their selection process in a SSB contingent on the submission of the following certificates, before entering Stage I of selection:

Self-Certification Certificate as per Appendix ‘A’, to be signed by the candidate.

Certificate of belonging to a tribal community and permissibility of permanent body tattoo(s) as per format at Appendix ‘B’, to be signed by one of the following two officials:

DC/DM or SDM of the District/Tehsil where the tribe of the candidate is presently settled (Name and designation of the concerned official must be clearly mentioned).

Chairman/Secretary or any other senior member of the Tribe (Name, designation (if any) and address of the concerned member will be clearly mentioned).

Other Candidates

For candidates who are not part of a tribal community, permanent tattoos are allowed on only specific parts of body, as cited below. Self Certification Certificate is a must for tattoos.

Inner face of forearms; i.e. from inside of the elbow to the wrist of both the hands.

Reverse side of the palm/back (dorsal) side of both hands.

Permissibility Of Tattoos

Non-Permissible Tattoos

No matter where the tattoo is on the body, the following types will be classified as non-permissible tattoos:

Racist tattoos that degrade or demean a person’s race, ethnicity or region, and religion

Acceptance/ Non-Acceptance of Permanent Body Tattoo(s)

Any candidate with permanent body tattoo(s) on any part of the body other than that specified in above, or is of an objectionable nature (non-permissible category), and is ineligible for enrolment into the Indian Armed Forces.